BANGKOK — Myanmar's army recaptured the town of Tonzang on Wednesday after 10 days of operations, one day after retaking Mawtaung following a two-week offensive. The recaptures returned to military control two towns that had been held by ethnic armed organizations and local resistance forces.

Tonzang, located about 25 kilometers east of the Indian border, had been under the control of allied Chin ethnic militias and local resistance forces since May 2024. A state-run paper published photographs of soldiers who recaptured Tonzang posed in front of the township's administrative office and other departments.

Mawtaung, about 630 kilometers southeast of Yangon, had been held by the Karen National Union and other local resistance groups. After more than 207 armed engagements, the army recovered the bodies of 24 members of the KNU and its allies and captured their ammunition supplies. Some security force members were also killed during the recapture of Mawtaung.

The operations came as the army has regained the upper hand in the nationwide conflict since mid-2025, following China-brokered ceasefires and an increase in troop numbers driven by conscription. Approximately one month before the recaptures, military chief Min Aung Hlaing invited the country's armed resistance groups to fresh peace talks.

Chin state and the Tanintharyi region have seen conflict since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. After the takeover, peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force and many opponents of military rule took up arms. The conflict has since spread across multiple regions of the country, with ethnic armed organizations and newly formed resistance groups contesting army control in towns and rural areas.